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mads_jpg's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I have a lot of thoughts about this book.
The positives:
The positives:
- I liked the non-linear storytelling through the Netflix clips that start to reveal certain details.
- The story was interesting enough that I read it quite quickly despite the length.
The negatives (Spoilers!):
- The book seems to paint Josie as a man-hating feminist, which doesn't sit right when she then goes on to kill the only men in the story.
- The author said in the acknowledgements that she wrote this book in less than a year, and it shows, because given the inclusion of something as sensitive as pedophilia she did not portray it in a responsible way.
- I can't tell if the book is a commentary on or a victim of the idea of the 'perfect victim' who never does anything wrong.
- The way the author described Josie's grooming by Walter was awful in almost every case, either saying she "allowed herself to be groomed" or that she in fact wasn't groomed at all and actually seduced Walter herself. Which still wouldn't make it ok since the adult is ultimately responsible for shutting that kind of thing down.
- Every character is incredibly unlikable, and their actions make no sense. E.g Pat who is reviled as this full of life, go getting woman just let's her 16-year-old daughter take her 40-year-old boyfriend from her? And doesn't do anything to stop it?
- Why the hell is Alix still working on the podcast after Nathan goes missing AND after he's confirmed murdered?!?!?! I was reading this assuming the police/documentary filmmakers had gotten a copy of the podcast, not that she'd RELEASED THE DAMN THING.
- Alix mourns Josie's victims as people who were killed "for no good reason at all", and that was a big issue for me. I really did feel like I had no idea why she would go this far, and the last minute twist in the epilogue doesn't account for that.
- I'm all for an unreliable narrator story, but at no point did it feel like the reader had any chance at following what was really going on, and the ambiguous ending made that even more frustrating, but that's probably just a me thing and not a legitimate issue.
- It was also bloody annoying how many times the author said Josie could hear the sound of Erin's headphones through the door, there's literally no way that's possible without Erin sustaining serious ear damage, I'm sorry but no.
Overall this felt like a dangerously careless representation of some very serious issues given the amount of trigger warnings I had to add to this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Sexism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
blackcatkai's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
CW: toxic friendships, murder, blood, child abuse, domestic violence, grooming, adult/minor relationship, gaslighting, victim blaming, ableism, alcohol & drug use, mental illness, trauma
this book made me angry in a bunch of different ways. i wish I had known going in that it centered around an abuse/grooming victim.
I know that a lot of the different characters act very true to life in regards to how pervasive victim blaming is & painting horrible people as martyrs or good men in their death. how someone being not entirely truthful can make everyone around them believe that then EVERYTHING is a lie, even when it isnt. so much of what happens in this book is very true to life.
however, I am still conflicted. honestly, what Josie did isn't ok. but neither is all she went through or how everyone treated/saw her. she was a woman who desperately needed help & care from such a young age and she never got that. a narcissistic mother, a married 45 year old man taking advantage of her as a young teen, her own adult children never seeming to understand how fucked up it is that their dad groomed their mother.
I don't know. I don't honestly think we're supposed to side with alix. I really don't. I can see how Jewel is also attempting a commentary on how true crime can sensationalize and twist stories about real people and turn them into something else entirely. and she's not wrong! but overall something just feels off with the way the subject is handled that doesn't sit well with me, but I also can't quite put my finger on it.
there's also a tiny moment of autism mentioned in regards to a character that also felt a bit... not quite right. just go in carefully with this one.
I will say either way that the audiobook is done EXCEEDINGLY well. a full cast & production. little touches that make the podcast moments feel like a real podcast. very well done, in that respect.
this book made me angry in a bunch of different ways. i wish I had known going in that it centered around an abuse/grooming victim.
I know that a lot of the different characters act very true to life in regards to how pervasive victim blaming is & painting horrible people as martyrs or good men in their death. how someone being not entirely truthful can make everyone around them believe that then EVERYTHING is a lie, even when it isnt. so much of what happens in this book is very true to life.
however, I am still conflicted. honestly, what Josie did isn't ok. but neither is all she went through or how everyone treated/saw her. she was a woman who desperately needed help & care from such a young age and she never got that. a narcissistic mother, a married 45 year old man taking advantage of her as a young teen, her own adult children never seeming to understand how fucked up it is that their dad groomed their mother.
I don't know. I don't honestly think we're supposed to side with alix. I really don't. I can see how Jewel is also attempting a commentary on how true crime can sensationalize and twist stories about real people and turn them into something else entirely. and she's not wrong! but overall something just feels off with the way the subject is handled that doesn't sit well with me, but I also can't quite put my finger on it.
there's also a tiny moment of autism mentioned in regards to a character that also felt a bit... not quite right. just go in carefully with this one.
I will say either way that the audiobook is done EXCEEDINGLY well. a full cast & production. little touches that make the podcast moments feel like a real podcast. very well done, in that respect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Mental illness, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Confinement, and Medical content
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Rape
prairieraven's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Death, Stalking, Child death, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Classism, Incest, and Toxic friendship
pomoevareads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I am going to start my review by saying two seemingly contradicting statements. I gave this book five stars and I had issues with how child sexual abuse was handled.
The basic premise of None of This is True is the meeting of two 45 year old women on their birthday who come together to make a podcast about the lives of one of them. One of them had a privileged upbringing and is popular and successful and the other met her husband when she was 13 and he was 30 years older. Josie, the second woman, works at an alterations shop and has an affinity towards denim and is described as being a bit odd. Alix, the podcaster and privileged woman, agrees to interview Josie about her life for a new podcast. Alix focusses in on the more salacious content which Josie, who seeks attention, thrives under. But this one sided examination of marriages and family can’t last forever and soon Alix is under the microscope of Josie and worries about her own family.
Look, I couldn’t put this book down. There were no pacing gaps and it embodied the kind of slow burn suspense stories I love. And drama, yes there was much of it and while I am at times ashamed to admit it, I enjoy escapist drama-as long as it isn’t mine. The characters were solid and while the podcast element could seem overdone as so many books feature this now, it didn’t and felt fresh. I enjoyed the addition of the video movements and descriptions for the documentary that comes about. This is where the five stars lie.
Now to the more difficult part. Giving Josie blame for being groomed by Walter, 30 years her senior, one who had a previous marriage that also involved a 16 year old girl, is problematic at its core. A teen between the ages of 13 and 18 does not have the maturity or experience to see what is happening to her by this much older man. Walter is much more than a ‘bad man,’ he is a pedophile. The character of Alix and others in the story attribute responsibility to Josie for drawing the eye of Walter. I won’t say more than that as it would lead to spoilers but wanted to say something rather than nothing. I believe from the ending that the author doesn’t actually have these feelings and that she is demonstrating the characters of Alix and others in writing it this way.
I have read several of Jewell’s books and this one may be my favourite. I hope that I read the ending of this story as the author intended. I think this book might serve up some great discussions for book clubs and am impressed in the very short time this author was able to put this book together-clearly giving up her normal routines for laying out a story worked.
Thank you to @simonschusterca for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. None of This is True publishes August 8th.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, and Eating disorder
Minor: Child death and Pandemic/Epidemic
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